On Sunday, Prime Minister Charles Michel asked his State Secretary for Asylum and Immigration Theo Francken (N-VA) “not to fan the flames” with regards to the political crisis in Catalonia.

Theo Francken says the former Catalonian President Carles Puigdemont could seek political asylum in Belgium. The State Secretary also questioned whether Mr Puigdemont – who could face charges of “disobedience” “rebellion” and misuse of funds for having held an unauthorised referendum on Catalonian independence on the 1st of October – would have a fair trial in Spain.

These declarations were described as “unacceptable” by Esteban Gonzalez Pons, the spokesman for the party which is currently in power in Spain. He added he hoped “it would be corrected immediately”.

An asylum request by Mr Puigdemont is “absolutely not on the agenda”, Mr Michel told Belga on Sunday. He also repeated his appeal for political dialogue between Spanish and Catalonian authorities. “I would ask Theo Francken not to fan the flames”, the Prime Minister added.

At least 166 Walloon communes were affected by an exceptional drought between 1 May and 1 August, according to data from the Royal Meteorological Institute (IRM), Wallonia’s Minister of Agriculture, René Collin, disclosed on Monday.